The German government holds Russia responsible for a cyberattack on German air traffic control, and for targeted disinformation campaigns before the last federal election. According to the German Foreign Office in Berlin, the incidents could be clearly attributed to the Russian military intelligence service, the GRU. In response, the Russian ambassador to Berlin was summoned to the Foreign Ministry.
"We have been observing a massive increase in threatening hybrid activities by Russia for some time now," a spokesperson for the Foreign Ministry stated. These range from disinformation campaigns and espionage to cyberattacks and sabotage attempts. The aim is to divide society, sow distrust, and undermine confidence in democratic institutions. The spokesperson added that with these actions, Russia is "very concretely threatening our security, not only through its war of aggression against Ukraine, but also here in Germany."
The Foreign Ministry spokesperson explained that the cyberattack on air traffic control in August 2024 was clearly attributed to the hacker collective "APT28," known as "Fancy Bear," and to the responsibility of the Russian military intelligence service, the GRU. Furthermore, it could now be "conclusively stated" that Russia had attempted "to influence and destabilize both the last Federal election and the ongoing internal affairs of the Federal Republic of Germany." There was "absolutely irrefutable evidence" for this".
The so-called "Storm 1516" campaign, which has been running since 2024, is allegedly backed by "reliable information" that the Moscow-based think tank "Center for Geopolitical Expertise" is behind it. The Center is also said to be supported by Russian military intelligence. Its primary aim is to influence democratic elections in the West.
Prior to the federal election, the focus was on, among others, the Green Party's lead candidate Robert Habech, and the then CDU/CSU chancellor candidate Friedrich Merz. Just two days before the snap election on February 23, 2025, the German government announced that German security authorities had received indications that fake videos about alleged manipulation of ballot papers were part of a Russian disinformation campaign.
The analysis by the German Intelligence Service showed that the campaign spread "artificially generated pseudo-investigative research, deepfake image sequences", pseudo-websites of journalists and fabricated witness statements" on various platforms.
The Russian ambassador was clearly informed during his summons that Germany is monitoring Russia's activities "very closely" and taking action against them. Germany is taking "a series of countermeasures in close coordination with our European partners to make Russia pay for its hybrid actions." The German government is supporting new sanctions with consequences such as travel bans, asset freezes, and a ban on providing economic resources.
From January 2026, cross-border travel by Russian diplomats within the European Schengen Area will be monitored, the Foreign Ministry spokesperson announced. "The aim is to facilitate better information exchange and minimize intelligence risks." Further bilateral restrictions on Russian diplomatic personnel are also planned. The spokesperson did not provide details.
To defend against future threats, Germany, according to the Federal Ministry of the Interior, is planning a new platform for "interagency exchange and the coordination of measures to counter hybrid threats." This also includes creating a situational overview and evaluating individual incidents.
Hybrid warfare refers to a combination of military, economic, intelligence, and propaganda means used to influence public opinion. State-sponsored cyberattacks also fall under this category.
source: commonspace.eu with Deutche Welle (Cologne).
photo: The German Foreign Ministry in Berlin.
